Never Ignore Blood In Your Dog's Stool, It Means Something Serious

1. What Does It Mean To See Blood In Your Dog's Stool?

The presence of blood in your dog's stool can be a quite frightening thing, as we often associate it with cancer. Luckily, the causes are often less dramatic in dogs. Of course, as a responsible dog owner, it is always savvy to have the potential causes investigated by a vet to rule out the more serious conditions.

Blood in stool is medically known as hematochezia or melena depending whether the blood originated in the upper or lower position of the digestive system. Telling them apart helps your vet form an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

2. What’s the difference in bloody and tarry black poop?

2.1 My dog is pooping blood

Hematochezia is a term used to describe the presence of bright red, fresh blood in feces. It can occur from somewhere in the lower intestines, typically the colon or the rectum.

Hematochezia can be either a minor and transient health problem, or a potentially more serious problem.

If the bleeding occurs only one time, it is usually nothing to worry about. If the bleeding continues and keeps recurring, you should take your dog to a veterinarian to determine the cause.

2.2 My dog's poop is black

Melena is a term used to describe the presence of digested blood in the feces and makes the stools sticky, tarry and black, meaning that the blood is digested from the upper intestinal tract.

Usually, melena is more worrisome than an occasional case of hematochezia. It may represent a life-threatening illness and requires an urgent trip to the vet.

Following are some ways to tell them apart:

3. Why Is My Dog Pooping Blood?

3.1 Common causes of fresh bright red blood in stool

• Infectious agents, such as bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and intestinal parasites
• Dietary intolerance/allergy/indiscretion
• Cancerous tumors or polyps (benign masses) in the rectum, colon or anus
• Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE)
• Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as colitis
• Injuries or trauma such as a fractured pelvis to the anal area
• Clotting disorders
• Intussusception (the inversion of one portion of the bowel into another)
• Other diseases of the anus, rectum and colon

3.2 Causes of black tarry blood in stool

• Severe infections, such as bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and intestinal parasites
• Certain drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug like Rimadyl or aspirin causing ulceration of the intestine, or Pepto-Bismol
• Cancer/Tumors in the gastrointestinal tract (quite common in elderly dogs)
• Foreign body in the stomach or intestines
• Infiltrative and inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases
• Ingestion of blood
• Clotting abnormalities and bleeding disorders
• Metabolic and other diseases that cause gastrointestinal ulceration
• Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE)
• Perioperative hemorrhage (bleeding associated with surgery on the intestinal tract)
• Gastrointestinal ischemia (lack of blood supply)
• Toxicity from heavy metals (uncommon causes)

4. When It’s Time To See A Vet

Never ignore the presence of blood in your dog's stool. If you find yourself in this situation:

4.1. Collect a sample of the stool in a zip lock bag.

4.2. Contact your vet, tell them what's going on and make an appointment for a thorough examination.

4.3. Your vet will conduct an examination of the stool sample to check the cause of the problem.

4.4. Your vet may decide to perform further tests based on the initial examination result. These further tests could include x-ray, complete blood count, urinalysis, or other tests necessary for an accurate diagnosis.

5. First and foremost: DON’T panic

Please resist the urge to panic.

There are various conditions causing blood in your dog's stool. Some are reasonably easy to treat, such as worms and giardiasis, while other cases can be managed if caught early.

The first and foremost thing is to contact your vet right away.